DUISearch results for category: New Mexico DUI
NM State Senator Seeks Law Against Drunk Airline Passengers
Legislation is prompted by airline passenger who killed family while driving drunk in Albuquerque.
New Mexico state Senator Tom Udall has proposed legislation that he hopes will reduce incidents of intoxication on airplanes and cases of air rage. He hopes to be able to curtail such activities by training flight attendants and gate agents in the identification of drunks and belligerent passengers. Currently airlines are not required to provide such training.
Udall's efforts stem from a case of driving while intoxicated in New Mexico. A drunk airline passenger by the name of Dana Pabst disembarked from a flight and proceeded to drive from the airport, leading to an accident that killed a traveling family.
According to Udall there are 10,000 cases of air rage, a figure that is 400% higher than incidents in 2000. His legislation has been approved by the Commerce Committee.
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Town Vows to Fire Employees Arrested for New Mexico DWI
Farmington, NM will terminate city employees convicted of drunk driving in NM.
The city manager of Farmington, New Mexico has announced that city employees convicted of driving while intoxicated will be fired. In an email sent to employees, Rob Mayes said the number of arrests for New Mexico DWI among city workers was inexcusable. Any worker found guilty of drunk driving would be terminated regardless of whether they were on the job or off-duty.
Mayes plans to issue a detailed policy that may include forced, unpaid leave for employees accused of DWI until their criminal case is resolved. Over the past 16 months, a city inspector, three police officers and five firefighters employed by the city of Farmington have been arrested for suspicion of NM DWI.
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Peculiar drunk driving articles for the week of May 15
Really odd drunk driving news – 'The Unusual'
Trail of oil leads to California DUI suspect – Police in Sacramento responded to a report of a vehicle smashing into a pole around 2:00 am. The vehicle had fled the scene but left a trail of dripping oil. The officers followed the trail and soon located a damaged SUV at a nearby home. The driver was charged with leaving the scene of an accident and driving under the influence in California.
Man fakes his own death to avoid New Mexico DWI – Byron Shane Carpenter, from Capitan, was facing prison sentence for vehicular homicide and two separate NM DWI charges. Then his obituary appeared in the Albuquerque paper, citing the death of a loving father and husband in an auto accident. A tip, however, lead U.S. Marshals to Carpenter hiding at a friend's house, and he was taken into custody. In addition to new charges against Carpenter, those involved with the fugitive felon's escape will be facing arrest.
Unknown vehicle in driveway leads to Minnesota DWI – A homeowner did not recognize the car found parked in the yard next to his house early one morning, so he called the police. Officers discovered Joseph Donald Shoeberl, 32, asleep in the vehicle and made several efforts to wake him. When finally roused and asked if he knew where he was, Shoeberl answered "in southern Minnesota." In fact, he was about 130 miles northwest of the Minneapolis. Shoeberl's blood alcohol content at 7:17 am registered .16% or twice the legal limit. He was charged with driving while intoxicated in MN.
Wedding night in jail after Texas DWI – Jade Puckett, 26, described her wedding night as humiliating and her greatest nightmare after her new husband, Billy, was arrested for driving while intoxicated in Houston, Texas. The two had just left their wedding reception when they were targeted by a Harris County sweep for drunk drivers. Billy was charged with TX DWI and Jade was charged with public intoxication when she became belligerent. Jade filed a complaint saying that male deputes seemed to take pleasure from her demise as they repeatedly came to see her in the holding cell, still in her wedding dress. The complaint also covered a photo taken of her in her dress in the courtroom. She entered a guilty plea to public intoxication and was released for time served. Her husband pleaded no contest to DWI and was given a year's probation, fined $300 fine and ordered to perform community service.
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New Mexico Schedules Spring DWI Campaign
Crackdown on NM DWI is part of Spring Superblitz.
Gov. Bill Richardson announced a spring crackdown on motorists who are driving while intoxicated in New Mexico. The Spring Superblitz will be conducted over the next 17 days. Law enforcement agencies will increase efforts to arrest suspected drunk drivers through sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols. The campaign will run through the end of March.
A new state-wide anti-DWI ad campaign was also unveiled, titled 'Women Drive Drunk, Too'. The campaign hopes to educate the public to the dangers of driving while intoxicated in New Mexico, and to the fact that the number of female NM DWI offenders is increasing. The State DWI czar says that almost a quarter of all drunk driving arrests in New Mexico involve female drivers. They also reportedly account for 20% of the alcohol related traffic fatalities. The 'Women Drive Drunk, Too' message will be spread through use of billboards, radio spots and television commercials.
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Lawmakers Approve Monitoring Device for Some NM DWI Cases
House votes to allow for alcohol monitoring bracelets after some drunk driving offenses.
Last year, lawmakers passed legislation making it mandatory for every one convicted of driving while intoxicated in New Mexico to install an ignition interlock device in their vehicle. Now legislators want to add another tool in the pursuit of prevention of drunk driving in NM. The House approved a measure that permits judges to require certain drivers convicted of drunk driving to wear an electronic monitoring device that detects alcohol.
The ignition interlock device is aimed at preventing drivers from operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. The sponsor of the new law says the objective of the special ankle bracelet is sobriety. He said that many rural areas do not have alcohol rehabilitation facilities and the alcohol monitoring bracelet will help alcoholics and repeat drunk driving offenders remain sober.
The bracelets detect alcohol in the person's perspiration and through the air. The device periodically relays information to a company that tracks the devices. The data is forwarded to an appropriate probation office or government agency. The penalties for alcohol consumption have not been clarified.
The alcohol monitoring devices can cost around $15 per day, and there are installation fees. For those unable to pay for the bracelet, a judge is able to tap into a state indigent fund, which is also available for ignition interlock devices.
The New Mexico State House unanimously approved the proposed legislation, and the measure has been sent to the Senate for debate.
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State Senate Adds to Interlock Requirement for NM DWI
Those with a suspended license for drunk driving required to have the device for 6 months.
The New Mexico State Senate voted unanimously to pass legislation that requires drivers with revoked or suspended driver’s licenses for driving while intoxicated to install an ignition interlock devices in their vehicles. The devices, which measures a driver’s blood alcohol content before permitting the vehicle to be started, would be required for six months prior to re-instatement of licenses.
The bill’s sponsor says it closes another NM DWI loophole and makes the roads safer by requiring drivers to be sober for six months before gaining return of their licenses. He claims that currently motorists convicted of drunk driving in New Mexico are avoiding the state’s mandatory ignition interlock requirement by stating that they do not own a vehicle or won’t be driving.
Senate Bill, numbered SB275, now goes to the House for consideration.
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Crash Into Living Room Leads to NY DWI
Driver left the scene but was apprehended hours later.
A Wurtsboro man lost control of his truck and crashed into the living room of a local residence. He then backed up and fled the scene, despite efforts by the residents of the house to stop the man.
A few hours later a passenger of truck called 911 to report injuries sustained in the accident. That lead to the arrest of Thomas Mills, 45, on charges of driving while intoxicated in NY. The occupants of the house had been sleeping at the time of the crash, and were injured.
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Peculiar drunk driving articles for the week of February 27
Really odd drunk driving news – Vehicles
California DUI in a stolen shopping cart - Around 9 p.m. on a Tuesday night, Marcos Urbano took off in a $3000 motorized shopping cart from a Wal-Mart. Napa police spotted Urbano, 24, traveling in the fast lane of a major roadway. The officer stopped Urbano and charged him with drunk driving in California, felony grand theft and not having a valid driver’s license.
Texas DWI on a tractor – The Nacogdoches Police Department stopped Gerald Herbert Jr. for suspicion of driving while intoxicated in TX. Rather than a car, truck or motorcycle, however, Herbert was driving a tractor. According to Texas DWI law, operating any type of motorized vehicle makes the driver subject to drunk driving penalties. The tractor was then impounded.
New Mexico DWI on a four-wheeler – Police spotted Richard Casados, without head lights, heading down a road the night of Valentine’s Day. Casados, 49, refused to stop and the officer followed him to a nearby home. Approaching the suspect the officer detected a strong odor of alcohol. When asked what he was doing, Casados replied he was going to see his ‘sweetheart’. Rather than flowers or candy, police found 14 cans of beer in one of the saddle-bags of the vehicle. Casados was booked on charges of NM DWI. It was his eighth such offense.
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Director of State District Attorneys Charged with NM DWI
Top staffer arrested for drunk driving near Bernalillo.
The director of the state’s district attorneys association was arrested for driving while intoxicated in New Mexico. Randy Saavedra was stopped last Saturday at a sobriety checkpoint in Bernalillo, north of Albuquerque. He reportedly had bloodshot and watery eyes, had a strong odor of alcohol and slurred his speech. The arrest complaint also cites ‘several signs of impairment’. A blood alcohol content reading was not included. Saavedra denies being intoxicated and vows to fight the charges.
Saavedra was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in New Mexico in 2001 but the charges were dropped by the district attorney in Bernalillo County. That arrest was before he was named head of the state-funded DAs office. He was appointed to the position by a board made up of state district attorneys. Saavedra has amassed 36 traffic citations over the last 20 years, yet has never paid a fine or received a jail sentence. He is the son of the state representative from Albuquerque, ‘Kiki’ Saavedra.
Saavedra admitted that he had been drinking champagne prior to the arrest, but said his BAC was under the legal limit for intoxication.
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Governor Seeks Additional New Mexico DWI Laws
Bill Richardson seeks stronger laws for drugged driving.
During his six-years in office, Gov. Bill Richardson has worked to strengthen New Mexico drunk driving laws, as well as increase law enforcement efforts and raise the public awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving. Now Richardson has taken aim at reducing driving under the influence of illegal drugs in New Mexico. He has proposed legislation that would call for a motorist to submit to a drug test if they fail a field sobriety test.
Richardson cited statistics claiming that 97 percent of those arrested for impairment and given a blood test show positive signs of illegal drugs. While New Mexico DWI laws already cover the prohibition of driving under the influence of illegal drugs, establishing degree of impairment for prosecution can be difficult. Checking for blood alcohol content in suspected NM DWI cases can be done relatively easy and quickly, but testing for illegal drugs requires a blood sample and time for processing.
A spokesperson with the New Mexico Department of Public Safety said that when motorists are issued driver’s licenses they give their ‘implied consent’ to submit to breath tests to check for driving while intoxicated. The same position is taken when it comes to requiring drivers suspected of drug impairment to submit to a blood test.
Forced blood draws have raised privacy issues, and currently there are no guidelines in place to quantify how much of any particular drug warrants an arrest for impairment. Legal limits for drug presence will have to be established, along with applicable time lines for testing, before someone can be prosecuted for impairment beyond a reasonable doubt. The DPS acknowledged that the task is profoundly challenging.
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